The Challenge of Communication

Communication is important in the marriage and the family. If the couple have a strong pattern of communication it will help the family to be closer. One problem as explained in this video is that married couples don't spend enough time together and go on less dates. They wonder why they are not close and that is because they are not engaging in enough time together. When a couple deos this they are on the border of becoming strangers to one another. The intimacy suffers when a couple deosn't take the time together to spend with one another. The couple needs to remember that their prorities are jumbled and their marriage should be the most important. Without a strong marriage the family falls apart.

Crisis and Family

In class we were asked to come up with ten crisis that we have experienced in our lives and in our family. We also had to record crisis of other families we know. As I was doing this I thought of ways I coped with this and how I dealed with it. In the book it talked about different ways to cope with crisis situations. One is advoidance which is avoiding the issue all together. Denial is another way to cope which involves pretending like nothing is wrong and nothing. Then there is scapegoating and that invovles blaming others for your problems and crisis. These are not the best way to cope with things or to deal with the real problems. I know with me personally I tend to use scapegoating as a coping device. I like to blame others for my problems. I don't use that method much anymore because I realized that it is not healthy to blame each other for things out of their control. So it is best to deal with a problem in a healthy way.

Marriage and Sexual Intimacy: How to tell your Kids?

This week we learned about the Suexual intimacy in marriage. Brother Williams had moments when he got  very embaressed, but was able to explain it very well. This is a subject that might be hard for parents to share with their kids. It is important to share with your kids what sex is and the scareness of it. It is important to do it with a level of maturitny and with care. Depending on ages children it is important to share and anwser questions. They might find it out from other resources and those migh be negative. So it is up to you to be brave and share. You don't have to express every detail, but be honest with them. Communication is the key with children and it is better that you communicate with them instead of the world.

Transitions into Marriage

Marriage is not easy, but with communication it is possible. Thats why it is important to start with communication before you get married. Let the person you know you are getting married too become aware of what you want and desire from the marriage. When planning a wedding talk about what you want and give input to each other. Brother Williams spoke about how important it is to when tansitioning into marriage to be open about things and be honest. I have had some friends who have fallen apart with their marriage because they were not open at the beginning of the marriage. Communication is the key......

Meeting your Soulmate

What deos that mean to meet your soulmate or to fall in love. In class we learned about the process of picking a partner and falling inlove. In our heads we have this ideal image of what we want in a partner.  So we tend to look for those people who are apart of that image. I think sometimes people let that get in the way and they might end up missing the oppurtunity of meeting someone who they compatable with. We learned that there are many ways in which people meet and get to know each other better. They are cohabitation, hangouts, friend, parties, ect. There are many ways to find out if you want to be with someone. I feel the best way is to date and not many people so that anymore. I believe those who court the old fashion way have more of a chance for a better marriage. So it is intresting how the process of falling in love can really make a huge impact on our lives.

Gender Differences, Confusion, Roles

In class this week we focus on gender differences and we focus in how they can get confused. As we were talking I felt that we are all different, but it is important to remember our gender identity. We were discussing how some people get confused about their gender because they might be different and not fit the typical role. Just because they are different deosn't mean they have to be attracted to the same sex. I was listening and I have family members who struggle with gender identity. There have been many studies and research on this topic. There is just alot of confusion when it comes to gender roles. For example my mom would help with the bills and money and my dad would cook and clean sometimes. I think that we can share resposibilities of roles in each of the genders. We have to know what gender we are. In the Gospel it tells who exactly we are and we are sons and daughters of God.

Social Class and Family

In this video it explains the different types of social classes that three babies were born into. It talked about how one of the babies was able to move and leave his socail class and excel. In his hometown he is still the same social class and that is how he is percieved. Social class in the family is a big deal and in some countries it is status that gets you places. In class Brother Williams taught us about social class and the way it can effect family. Usually someone in a lower class family has difficulty of leaving their situation, but it is not impossible. In the United States you can live the American Dream and work your way to sucess. It is still difficult to do that with the class system, but it is not impossible.